Understanding that biblical prophecy and the teaching of what the church is to expect at the time of the end was a major subject among the first Christians. Unfortunately, in our modern era, these ideas that were once so dominant in the minds of God's people have faded into the background. In this episode, we will begin to revisit some fundamental ideas about biblical prophecy, the end times, and what we can know from the very Word of God concerning the nation of Turkey.

The primary focus of the message of Jesus was the kingdom of God. Many of us as Christians would not really be able to define what the phrase means, but it was central to Jesus and the apostles. The book of Acts is a narrative of all that Jesus continues to do and teach now that he has ascended into heaven and poured out the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:33). Learning to consistently pray for the Holy Spirit was how Jesus taught his disciples to pray, and when we make the future kingdom our life's priority, praying for the Holy Spirit becomes incredibly practical and the heart cry of our personal discipleship.

The mount of transfiguration is a significant episode in the life of Christ depicting him as a new law-giver like Moses. God speaks of Jesus the Son and says, "Listen to him!" We are always learning more about Christ, and as we do, what we know about ourselves and our purpose in life is elevated and is also transfigured, just like Christ upon that mountain.

People have been choosing their own desires over God since Adam and Eve. We have to know this about ourselves and humanity. We have to be intentional and choose the way of God over our own way and this is true for the work that is required to live a Christian life.

James 2:14-26 is a vital section of Scripture in understanding how the relationship of faith, works, and salvation interacts with one another. Certain aspects of this text in James need to be understood to alleviate the sense of contradiction between Paul's message of faith (usually in Romans) and what we find in James. Comparisons between James and Paul are complex, but these initial thoughts can help us to gain insight into why what James says is necessary for every Christian to understand the concept of "saving faith" in contrast to another kind of faith that is useless.

We all must follow the way of the cross if we are to become disciples of the Lord Jesus. In Luke 22-23, we read Luke's portrayal of how Jesus embodied the way of the cross on his way to his crucifixion at the "Place of the Skull." When we identify what it means to "take up our cross and follow him" we learn how to reflect the life of Jesus in our own day and time as we await his return from heaven.

In David's relationship with God in 1 Chronicles 21, David found himself in a dangerous situation between Satan's inciting him to sin and the Angel of the Lord bringing God's wrath to Israel. David's only way forward was through genuine repentance that led him to back into right standing with God, his guilt being removed, and God's redemptive purposes being fulfilled in his life.

Christ as the Son is in the congregation. He is proclaiming the name of God and praising the Father, leading us in worship. All of this is part of the sanctifying process, how we are sanctified through his activity, and we are learning to trust in the Father in new and greater ways because of what Christ is doing within the Church. We are the sons and daughters that God has given him. 

Christ's suffering and death was for us and on our behalf. Here in Hebrews 2:5-10 we find Christ in his humanity for the reason of tasting death for all of us. That we would be saved by him because of his faithful acts is the grace of God. 

We thank God that we have an understanding of the Son of God, Jesus. 

We are told, instructed, and warned in Hebrews 2:1-4 that we must give an extra effort to remember what we have heard from the Word of God. We do not want to drift away by being neglectful. Many times we get questions about the gifts of the Spirit and often, the question is expressed this way, "I want to know what my gifts are."

The reality of the gifts of the Spirit in the Scripture often revolves around the activity of God testifying to the Word of God that is being spoken. The gifts of the Spirit are usually evidenced within the context of the spoken Word being proclaimed. Another way we can get down to the subject of the gifts of the Spirit is by asking, "What gifts do you want to distribute according to your will God?" 

Even more practically, with respect to the testimony of Scripture that the gifts flow in the context of preaching and speaking the truth of Christ, a great question to ask yourself is, "Who am I discipling?" Are we walking others through the process of becoming a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ? If the answer is yes, then we can confidently anticipate the gifts of the Spirit to be experienced in that relationship and others like it.